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Denise Low
Denise Low (born 1949) is an American poet, honored as the second Poet Laureate of Kansas. Life Low is the daughter of Dorothy (Bruner) and Francis Dotson. A 5th generation Kansan of mixed German, Scots, Lenape (Delaware), English, French, and Cherokee heritage, she was born and grew up in Emporia, Kansas, where she began her writing career as a high school correspondent for the Emporia Gazette.http://www.kansaspoets.comhttp://arts.state.ks.us/poet_laureate/index.shtml She earned bachelor, masters, and doctoral degrees in English from the University of Kansas, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Wichita State University.Jan Biles, "Passion for poetry drives incoming poet laureate," Topeka Capital-Journal, May 26, 2007. Web, May 2, 2008. A professor at Haskell Indian Nations University, Low taught literature, creative writing and American Indian Studies courses at the university. She left Haskell in 2012 after 27 years as an administrator and faculty member. During her term as Poet Laureate of Kansas (2007-2009), Low continued the efforts of the state’s inaugural laureate, Jonathan Holden, by providing an open dialogue with Kansas poets. Besides appearing at many venues across the state, she established the Ad Astra Poetry Project. Personally contributing to the project bi-monthly via written releases, Low discusses specific notable poets. The Ad Astra project poets are also featured on www.kansaspoets.com. She has published poetry, reviews, articles about poetry and American Indian Literature in Midwest Quarterly, Kansas City Star, American Indian Literature, American Indian Culture and Research Journal, American Indian Quarterly, New Letters, North American Review, Conjuries, Connecticut Review, Yellow Medicine Review and others. She teaches classes for the School of Professional and Graduate Studies of Baker University as well as The Writers Place of Kansas City. She writes a regular poetry column for the Kansas City Star, and she is review editor of Yukhika-latuhse (She tells us stories), published by the Oneida Nations Arts Program. Individual members of the Associated Writers and Writing Programs elected Low to the national board of directors 2008-2013. She has served the board as conference chair and president (2011-2012). Low is also on the National Board of Drectors for the Associated Writers and Writing Programs. She reads and lectures regionally as well as nationally. Writing Her book of essays Natural Theologies: Essays about literature of the new middle west (Backwaters Press 2011) is the 1st book of critical essays about contemporary grasslands-region literature. Low’s New & Selected Poems, 1980-1999 was published by Penthe Press. In 2005, she edited the Lawrence Arts Center’s Wakarusa Wetlands in Word & Image for Imagination. She and her husband Thomas Weso co-wrote a biographical work on poet Langston Hughes. Low has published over 20 books of poetry and essays. Recognition She has received awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Lannan Foundation, the Kansas Arts Commission, the Poetry Society of America and others. 3 books by Low earned recognition from the Kansas State Library and the Kansas Center for the Book as Notable Books: Ghost Stories of the New West: Prose and Poems (2010); To the Stars: Kansas Poets of the Ad Astra Project (2009); and Words of a Prairie Alchemist: Essays (2007). Ghost Stories was recognized by Circle of Minneapolis as one of the best Native books published in 2010. Words of a Prairie Alchemist was designated a 2007 Notable Book by the State Library of Kansas. Thailand Journal was named a notable book of 2003 by the Kansas City Star. Awards *Kansas Poet Laureate, selected by the governor and Kansas Arts Commission, July 2007-2009 *Prairie Alchemist selected for Kansas Notable Book by Gov. and Ks. State Library, 2007. *Lawrence Arts Commission Grant, to Ice Cube Press, for Words of a Prairie Alchemist: The Art of Literature, 2005. *Wordcraft Circle Annual Gathering Service Award, Haskell and KU, March 2003. *Phoenix Award, Lawrence Arts Commission, individual award in literary arts, 2000. *Lawrence Arts Commission Grant, to Penthe Press for New and Selected Poems, 1999. *Seaton Poetry Prize, Kansas Quarterly, 1991. "Dragonflies." *Roberts Foundation National Writing Competition, 1989, 2nd, poetry, "Winter Count." *Lawrence Arts Commission City Enhancement and Cultural Exchange Award, for Starwater (Cottonwood, 1988). *Seaton Poetry Prize, Kansas Quarterly, 1988, "Mastodons." *Pushcart Fiction Prize nomination, Redstart, James Mechem, ed. "Queen of Swords." *Council for Advancement and Support of Education Regional Award of Excellence,for Spring Geese and other poems (University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Press, 1984). *Academy of American Poets' Pami Jurassi Bush Award, 1983, 2nd, for "Quilting." *Seaton Poetry Prize, Kansas Quarterly (1982). Third place, "Mt. Saint Helens Day." *Lichtor Poetry Prize, Jewish Community Center, Kansas City, 1980, 1st, for "Place." *Pushcart Poetry Prize nominations, Little Balkans Review, Gene DeGruson, editor for "Snakes" and, Naked Man, Michael Smetzer, editor for "Cold" and "Drought." Grants and fellowships *Sequoyah National Research Center Fellowship, 2012, to study Yuki poet William Oandasan *National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship, 2011-2012, to develop online and text resources related to Northern Cheyenne ledger art relating to 1879 Kansas history *''Thailand Journal'' was the Kansas City Star Notable Book of 2003. *Lannan Fellowship, The Newberry Library, “American Indian Societies, Cultures, and Gender in Midwestern and Eastern North America.” Summer 2001 *The Newberry Library, Chicago, Documentary Workshop Fellowship, "Native American Autobiography," 1992. *Kansas Arts Commission Literary Arts Fellowship in Poetry, 1991. One award every two years to a poet in Kansas, at that time commonly referred to as the “poet laureate” for Kansas. $5000. *Kansas Committee for the Humanities, Summer Seminar for Teachers Grant, "Native American Tribes in Kansas: Cultural Persistence," 1991, seminar director and lead scholar. *National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute Fellowship, Newberry Library, Chicago, "Myth, Memory, and History: Sources for Writing Native American History," 1991. *National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute Fellowship, "Great Traditions in Native American Thought," University of California-Berkeley, 1987. *Kansas Arts Commission Mini-grant: Funding for Summer Workshop, "Writing from Nature," Museums of Natural History, University of Kansas, 1985. Publications Poetry *''Dragon Kite'', in Mid-America Trio (by Greg Field; Denise Low; Stanley E Banks). Kansas City, MO: BkMk Press, 1981. *''Spring Geese, and other poems.'' Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, 1984. *''Quilting: Six poems.'' Lawrence, KS: Holiseventh, 1984. *''Learning the Language of Rivers''. Midwest Quarterly 38.4 (Summer 1987): 473-510.Books, DeniseLow.net. Web, Dec. 5, 2015. *''Starwater: Poems.'' Lawrence: Cottonwood Review Press (U of Kansas), 1988. w *''Selective Amnesia. Stiletto I'' (Dec. 1988): Howling Dog, 1988. *''Metamorphosis''. Lawrence, KS: Tansy Press, 1989. *''Vanishing Point.'' (chapbook). Wichita, KS: Mulberry Press, 1991. *''Tulip Elegies: An alchemy of writing.'' Lawrence, KS: Penthe, 1993. *''New and Selected Poems.'' Lawrence, KS: Penthe, 1999. *''Thailand Journal: Poems.'' Topeka. KS: Woodley Memorial Press, 2003. *''Ghost Stories of the New West: From Einstein's brain to Geronimo's boots''. Topeka, KS: Woodley Memorial Press, Washburn University, 2010. *''Mélange Block''. Santa Fe, NM: Red Mountain Press, 2014. *''Jackalope''. Santa Fe, NM: Red Mountain Press, 2016. Non-fiction *''Touching the Sky: Essays.'' Lawrence, KS: Penthe, 1994. *''Langston Hughes in Lawrence: Photographs and Biographical Resources.'' (with T.F.Pecore Weso). Lawrence, KS: Mammoth, 2004. *''Words of a Prairie Alchemist: The art of prairie literature.'' North Liberty, IA: Ice Cube Press, 2006. *''From Kansas to Harlem: The Midwest heritage of Langston Hughes''. Chestertown, MD: Literary House Press, Washington College, 2007. *''Natural Theologies: Essays about literature of the new Middle West''. Omaha, NE: Backwaters Press, 2011. *''The Lenape Code: Cultural persistence''. Lawrence, KS: Mammoth, 2013. Edited *''30 Kansas Poets.'' Lawrence, KS: Cottonwood Review Press, 1979. *''Confluence: Contemporary Kansas poetry.'' Lawrence, KS: Cottonwood Review Press, 1983. *''A Confluence of Poems, a school edition'' (edited with David Low; illustrated by Tony Allard).Lawrence, KS: Cottonwood Review Press, 1984. *William Stafford, Kansas Poems. Topeka, KX: Woodley Memorial Press, 1990. *''The Good Earth: Three Poets of the Prairie: Paul Engle, James Hearts, William Stafford.'' Eds. Denise Low, Robert Dana, Scott Cawelti. North Liberty: Ice Cube Press, 2002. x *''Teaching Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony'' (edited with Peter G. Beidler). American Indian Culture and Research Journal 28.1. Los Angeles: American Indian Culture and Research Center, University of California, 2004. *''The Wakarusa Wetlands in Word and Image.'' Lawrence, KS: Committee on Imagination & Place, 2005. *''To the Stars: Kansas poets of the Ad Astra Project'' (edited with Carryn Mirriam-Goldberg). Topeka, KS: Center for Kansas Studies of Washburn University / Lawrence, KS: Mammoth, 2009. *''An Endless Skyway: Poetry from the State Poets Laureate'' (edited by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Marilyn L. Taylor, & Denise Low). North Liberty, IA: Ice Cube Books, 2011. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Denise Low, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Dec. 5, 2015. Audio / video *''Kaw kaw Kaw: As the poets fly, from Lawrence, Kansas'' (contributor; CD). Gonk Monster / Chameleon Production, 2000. See also * List of U.S. poets References External links ;Poems *Denise Low at Map of Kansas Literature (profile, bibliography, & 3 poems) * Denise Low at the Poetry Foundation *"In the Direction of North: Poems and paintings" (5 poems, with art by Tom Pecore Weso) at Numero Cinq ;Audio / video *[http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/u?/vwu,3070 Audio of Denise Low and Kathryn Kysar reading, Live from Prairie Lights, June 16, 2011] *Video of Denise Low reading her poem "Two Gates" ;Books *Denise Low at Amazon.com ;About *Author Denise Low at Backwaters Press *Denise Low Official website *Denise Low Postings Official weblog *"Passion for poetry drives incoming poet laureate," Topeka Capital-Journal. *[http://www.raintaxi.com/online/2012summer/low.php Review of Denise Low's Ghost Stories of the New West] Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Poets Laureate of Kansas Category:Writers from Kansas Category:20th-century poets Category:20th-century women writers Category:American poets Category:American women writers Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Women poets Category:American academics Category:21st-century poets Category:21st-century women writers